Egg-tester



(No Model.)

E. EDWARDS.

EGG TESTER.

No. 595,292. Patented Deo. 14,1897.

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EGG-TESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 595,292,

dated December 14, 1897.

Application filed May 11,1897. Serial No. 636,119. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, EZRA EDWARDS, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of IVebster City, in the county of Hamilton and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Egg Separator and Candler, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide improved means for separating eggs from packing material-such as oats, chaff, bran, or sawdust-and at the same time interpose the eggs between the eyes of the'operator and a strong artiiicial light in order that the transparency of the eggs may be tested andan opinion formed by the operator as to the age and condition of the edible portions of said eggs.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of elements hereinafterset forth,poin ted out in my claims, and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete machine. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of the machine on the indicated line x of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a portion of the machine on the indicated line 1 2 of Fig. 2. Fig. lis a detail perspective of a candle-holder and candle detached from the machine.

In the drawings, the lettersA B C D E designate portions of a supporting-frame arranged, so shaped,and connected as to sustain the operative parts of my machine and at the same time provide a table or stand a, which may be employed to hold an egg case or receptacle. (Not shown.) The upper portion A of the frame is rectangular in plan view, and a four-sided hopper@ is `fixed thereto and depends therefrom. An opening is formed at the convergence of the sides of the hopper e, and a door Z) is horizontally mounted for reciprocation in bearings fixed to the hopper sides and is arranged to traverse the said opening. A cylinder or light-chimney 10 is located within the lower portion of the hopper e and is supported by legs resting on the upper surfaces of the hopper sides. A removable section or plate M is formed in one side of the chimney 10, and a bracket 11 is iiXed to and projects inwardly from said plate and is further secured thereto by a brace 12. A socket 13 is iixcd to and rises from the ou ter the interior of the hopper to remove and replace the plate M and candle-bracket. The opening f may be closed by a sliding door arranged for reciprocation in bearings xed to the side I of the hopper in which said opening is located. A receptacle of some sort may be placed below the door b to receive the egg-packing material from the hopper. A rectangular frame H is iitted within the part A of the supporting-frame,and a section or piece ot' wire cloth or screen F is fixed to and stretched between the lower edges of said frame H. Au arched sheet-1netal cover 14E is iixed at its margins to the lower edges of the frame H and is provided with handles g g, whereby said cover, the frame H, and the screen conjunctively may be removed from the supporting-frame. An openin gis formed in the cover 14, through which access is had to the interior of the machine, and said opening is closed when the machine is not in use by a door d, vertically positioned for reciprocation in bearings 15, fixed to said cover.

In practical use I empty a box or case of eggs and the material in which they are packed upon the screen through the opening in the cover, and the packing material sifts through the screen, runs into the lower portion of the hopper, and is drawn off by the opening of the door b. I then uncover the opening fand insert the plate M and candlebracket in the chimney 10 and light the candle G. I then close the opening f and door b, and looking through the opening in the cover I can see the eggs interposed between my eyes and the artificial light of the candle and judge of the comparative freshness of the eggs. The eggs are removed from the screen through the opening in the cover.

I claim as my invention` 1. An egg tester and separator comprising a frame adapted to support a hopper, a table at one end of the frame adapted to support a basket or egg-case, a hopper fixed in the frame and provided with an opening at its bottom and one in its side, means for closing said openings, a wire screen fitted in the top of the hopper, a candle-holder detachably con- IOO nected with the open bottom of the hopper and a cover iitted over the top of the hopper and frame and provided with an opening at its central portion, arranged and combined to operate in the manner set forth for thepurposes stated.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of the supporting-frame, a hopper in said frame, an artiiicia1-1ightproduc ing means in the bottom of said hopper, a screen in the upper portion of said hopper, a cover over the screen and a gate in the bottom of the hopper,

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a supporting-frame, a hopper in said frame, a lamp in said hopper, a fra-Ine H in the upper portion of said hopper, a screen fixed to said frame H, an opaque cover fixed to the frame H and arched above the screen, means of access to the interior of the zo cover and a gate in the bottom of the hopper.

EZRA EDWARDS. 

